Aquanox Deep Descent

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 28
  3. Negative: 7 out of 28

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  1. Kirill_Klimov
    Oct 30, 2020
    3
    [Aquanox Deep Descent: Jacques-Yves Cousteau simulator. And, surprisingly, real Jacques-Yves Cousteau is more fascinating]

    Pain. That is the only feeling I experienced while playing this game. Every aspect of Aquanox is excruciatingly painful, from gameplay, especially combat-wise, to plot. In fact, I have not found a single feature that this game could be commended for. First, game    [Aquanox Deep Descent: Jacques-Yves Cousteau simulator. And, surprisingly, real Jacques-Yves Cousteau is more fascinating]

    Pain. That is the only feeling I experienced while playing this game. Every aspect of Aquanox is excruciatingly painful, from gameplay, especially combat-wise, to plot. In fact, I have not found a single feature that this game could be commended for.

    First, game mechanics. To better understand what this game feels like, try to imagine an incredibly boring and, at the same time, unreasonably difficult side mission in an otherwise good game. Like searching for minerals in Mako-truck in Mass Effect 1. Now, imagine that someone played this side mission and said to themselves: “Wow! That is so perfectly useless and anticlimactic! I should make a whole game out of it!” As a result, Aquanox Deep Descent was born.

    Nominally, the game positions itself as a shooter but it is anything but. “Doom” series are exemplar shooters: apart from the fact that there is fire everywhere, they are fast and captivating. On the other hand, watery Aquanox is a complete opposite of those: the game is slow and depressing. In addition to lame combat-regime, the submarine interface is extremely inconvenient. I mean, for real deep-sea explorers such an interface might be perfect. However, for a player it is extremely annoying to do a 360-turn every time they need to find the objective or strain their eyes to discern the remaining level of oxygen.

    Then, Aquanox has a plot. Or, well, it is said that the game has a plot. In fact, the story is a combination of endless loose ends that, even if they are tied up in the end, do not spur the player to beat the game. For example, the surface of the Earth was destroyed. How? Why? Who is responsible? What is more, while at the very beginning of the game, I was interested in such questions; 5 hours into the game the only problem that bothered me was “how do I not die of boredom?”.

    Besides, the main characters of the game are as stale as the plot. First, there are four of them. Having multiple protagonists is not a bad idea of itself (remember “Heavy Rain”), but in that case, they need to be equally well-developed. Conversely, in Aquanox, the main characters are not interesting at all. I did not know their past but I cannot say I cared about their future. Plus, the dialogues in the game are so pompous, pretentious and, at the same time, mostly meaningless that I do not want the characters to speak ever again. Like, a person asks the ship captain (sic!) if the fauna is dangerous, but the latter answers with a pathetically meaningful intonation: “It is different from what you experienced before. You will see…” I am off to a dangerous mission, you drama queen! I need an appropriate brief!

    To recap, painful gameplay and the atmosphere of pompous boredom are major flaws of Aquanox Deep Descent. There are numerous smaller shortcomings but the ones mentioned are already enough for me to advise not to play this game. After a 5-hours walkthrough, I could not force myself to go further.

    3 out of 10    … Expand
  2. Ya_boi_Andr
    Oct 18, 2020
    10
    Enjoyable game play to say the least. Great graphics and a nice story. Had a lot of fun playing it.Good job developers!
  3. JonnysBeard
    Oct 18, 2020
    3
    This is an action game with terrible combat and poor writing. Okay for a 2010 independent title, but not a 2020 game with a famous name attached.
  4. KenyerLovag
    Oct 17, 2020
    10
    Super game. One of mine tops.I played it like Misha plays pokemon go! "evere day"
  5. Leonidas_rex
    Oct 17, 2020
    10
    Yep, the waiting is over, and I dived deep in the word of Aqua! The game is awesome, and it is in a perfect prize range.. The gameplay is perfectly balanced, and the game is fun to play. Well done Digital Arrow!
  6. Cismontane
    Oct 17, 2020
    8
    A darkly moody arcade shooter that more than does nostalgic justice to this 23 year+ franchise.... it shows more than tells early on, which can be a bit disorienting, but it also fits with the premise.
  7. caek221
    Oct 19, 2020
    10
    I've been following this game since the Kickstarter. Can't say I've played the last two titles as religiously as everyone else but it lived up to my expectations and I'm overall fairly pleased. The fps part of the game is refined to the max and the UI tells me everything I need. The atmosphere of the levels is on point, it easily makes me feel claustrophobic and conveys the feeling ofI've been following this game since the Kickstarter. Can't say I've played the last two titles as religiously as everyone else but it lived up to my expectations and I'm overall fairly pleased. The fps part of the game is refined to the max and the UI tells me everything I need. The atmosphere of the levels is on point, it easily makes me feel claustrophobic and conveys the feeling of being in an underwater sub perfectly. Overall; I don't have any gripes with the game, its a fun experience worth every penny.… Expand
  8. ProbajColdrex
    Oct 17, 2020
    10
    Good gameplay, awsome graphics. It' really short, could be longer, but really enjoyable.
  9. Molny
    Oct 19, 2020
    10
    I hope this hidden gem gets enough attention, if it got your interest, you should just try it
  10. cakeranks
    Oct 30, 2020
    10
    I'm sure people reading reviews can get confusing, so here's my take. I'm giving this a top score because I love it. And I'm sure some will hate it. It's clearly not trying to be everyones favorite and that's a good thing imo.

    I'm neither a super huge fan of the old games, nor am I going to compare this game to them. People wanting to play a compare game will either be happy or    I'm sure people reading reviews can get confusing, so here's my take. I'm giving this a top score because I love it. And I'm sure some will hate it. It's clearly not trying to be everyones favorite and that's a good thing imo.

    I'm neither a super huge fan of the old games, nor am I going to compare this game to them. People wanting to play a compare game will either be happy or disappointed because we all remember the old games differently.

    It's a good game and a great move for the genre forward. I love the vibe, the style of shooting and in general how the game feels for me. I guess the story is not important to me and might not be good for some, and for me that doesn't play a major role. I love the combat and how it pumps me to be good at it. That's probably the main thing that wins in this case.    … Expand
  11. KhanAbyss
    Oct 27, 2020
    10
    I have never played the original Aquanox or the Archimedean Dynasty games so I can look at the game without nostalgia tinting my glasses pink. If what you're after is some fun shoot-em up arcade action with a beautiful underwater aesthetic and a catchy soundtrack then I believe this will fit right up your alley.
  12. Oliver_xyz
    Nov 2, 2020
    10
    Great game, unusal as the only submarine shooter. I loved the atmosphere and the story telling. Even though "old school" graphics in story telling, the game graphics are really nice with the Unreal 3 engine.
    Loved the pace, sometimes moody and slow, then very quickly dangerous.
    Great job making this from a Kickstarter project without a big budget. It is good fun, please make the next one longer!
  13. PlayItRight
    Nov 19, 2020
    9
    The game itself is one of the most prominent in 2020, no matter we have a lot of critics. If you contextualize the game, this is not planned to be AAA nor the publisher had that kind of approach. So, for the AA its very good, playable and enjoyable game. I think its going to be underestimated title but it found the way into my heart, for sure.
  14. Dipi
    Oct 19, 2020
    9
    I'm really enjoying exploring the depths of the ocean, getting to know Aqua.

    The graphics are very good, the sound even better. I like the firing system, having the possibility to shoot independently each weapon is fantastic. We can customize our submarine, from the type of color we want to have to the weapons to use. So far, the story of the game is very appealing. 9 out of 10, I    I'm really enjoying exploring the depths of the ocean, getting to know Aqua.

    The graphics are very good, the sound even better.
    I like the firing system, having the possibility to shoot independently each weapon is fantastic.
    We can customize our submarine, from the type of color we want to have to the weapons to use.

    So far, the story of the game is very appealing.
    9 out of 10, I just don't give 10 out of 10 because I find it a little slow when aiming the sights.

    I recommend.
    I'm sure I'm going to spend many hours enjoying this game.    … Expand
  15. Endrance
    Nov 6, 2020
    8
    I think this game captured the original charme of the games from the early 2000s pretty well. Just the nano-fauna and how they can't be locked on are pretty annoying, especially when you're using slow weapons. Solid though.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 21
  3. Negative: 2 out of 21
  1. Cubed3
    May 6, 2022
    50
    Aquanox Deep Descent is the "perfect" mediocre game. It does nothing bad, but nothing that good either. From the weak story, characters, and atmosphere, to the almost uninvolving gunfights, and unimaginative quests, this fails at being a big recommendation - especially to fans of the series. Oh, sure it has no competitors in the 'First-person Subaquatic Dystopian RPG' genre, but this doesn't mean it gets a free pass.
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  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Feb 17, 2021
    48
    Deep Descent ended up hitting the rock bottom. Instead of breathtaking underwater adventures we’ve got a very basic shooter. [Issue#251, p.64]
  3. GameGrin
    Feb 8, 2021
    80
    Submarines, Bionts, Dystopia and shooty shoots, what’s not to love? Buy this, slap on your cowboy hat, and stick some Linda Ronstadt on as you drive “every kind of rig that’s ever been made” in the deep blue.
    Read full review
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